Beyoncé Knowles has pledged to donate $6 million dollars toward COVID-19 relief with a focus on mental health services.
In a statement on the her website, the singer announced her philanthropy initiative BEYGOOD will be joining Twitter CEO, Jack Dorsey’s #startsmall LLC to allocate the $6 million toward “local community-based organizations.” The statement said the funds will go toward providing wellness services from UCLA and the National Alliance on Mental Illness in Houston, TX, New York, NY, New Orleans, LA, and Detroit, MI. The activity of Dorsey’s fund can be viewed in a public spreadsheet.
The statement informs that BEYGOOD will be supporting organizations that are “on the ground 24/7,” including United Memorial Center, Bread of Life, Matthew 25, and others. Beyoncé specifically cites the needs of communities of color that were vulnerable before the pandemic.
“Communities that were already lacking funds for education, health and housing are now faced with alarming infection rates and fatalities,” the statement reads. “And these communities lack access to testing and equitable healthcare.”
Beyoncé has acknowledged the largely higher rate that Black Americans have been infected with the coronavirus before. In a video during the “One World: Together at Home” concert over the weekend, she thanked Black Americans who belong to the “essential parts of the workforce” and said she prays for their safety.
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